1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrally bladed rotor disk, commonly referred to as an IBR or a blisk, and more specifically to structure of the blisk and a method of replacing a damaged blade on the blisk.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
An integrally bladed rotor disk, or IBR or blisk, is a one piece bladed disk that has the blades formed into the disk. Blisk are usually cast or machined as a single piece, and therefore they are a low cost bladed disk as opposed to disks having dove tail slots to slide individual blades therein. One problem with turbomachinery is damage to a blade. If a single blade on a blisk is damaged beyond repair, the entire blisk is useless. If the damaged blade can be repaired, the repair is usually costly and time consuming due to welding, machining, and other metal repair procedures. Therefore, there is a need in the art of integrally bladed rotors (or, blisks) to provide for a more efficient and less costly way to repair a damaged blade.